Stock memorandum tablet



(No Model.) 2 sheetssheep 1. J.DIOK. VSTOGK MEMORANDUM TABLET.

Ptentd Mar. 25, 1890.

" /N VEA/70H W/TNESSES.'

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Pholwlithogmpher. Wnshngwn. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. DICK. STOCK MEMORANDUM TABLET.

No. 424,184. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

/f wan/rsa I /N VENTOH A TTOHNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH DICK, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

STOCK-MEMORAN DA TABLET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,184, dated March 25, 1890.

, Application filed October 7; 1889. Serial No. 326,160. (No specimens.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH DICK, of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Stock- Memoranda Tablet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improved stockmemoranda tablet, and has for its object to provide a tablet upon which a record lnay be conveniently kept of the various articles of stock which may be exhausted by sale or use.

A further object of the invention is to Aprovide a tablet upon which the memoranda of articles wanted may be grouped and rendered plainly visible, and also wherein when the articles have been supplied the record of the wants may be quickly and conveniently canceled.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts,

as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and' pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line y y ot' Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of one of the cover-slides detached. Fig. 5 is a partial front elevation of a slightly-modiiied form of the device, and Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of the slide employed in connection therewith.

The prime object of the invention is to construct a tablet adapted for use in stores, hotels, restaurants, kitchens, zc., provided with a series of columns and a series of cover or indicating slides capable of being moved from one column to another. Vhen such a tablet is employed and thelast of any article or articles has been used, the slide or slides covering the name in the want column is withdrawn from said column and made to cover the name produceCb-for instance, in the central column or columns, which, for convenience,l designate stoclecolumns. Thus when the intermediate columns are used as stock-columns the want-columns, which are shown as outercolumns in the drawings, constitute market or order memoranda.

The memoranda-tablet is preferably constructed of metal, and consists, ordinarily, of a back plate 10 and a front plate 11. The side and top edges of the back plate 10 are bent upward and overupon the body to form a housing or slideway 12, in which housing or slideway the front plate 11 is slid, and the lower end of the front plate is bent downward and upward over the bottom edge of the back plate, as illustrated at 13 in Fig. 2. By this means the two plates are readily and economically united, and in order that one plate shall not slide over the other the housing or upturned edges 12 of the back plate are compressed to a certain degree upon the contacting edges ot the upper or front plate. The front face of the back plate 10 is preferably colored or made white, for instance, and the upper or front plate 11 is divided longitudinally into a series of columns 14 and 15, each column being provided with a series of transverse slideways 16 by producing in the upper or front plate 11 a series of preferably rectangular openings, the openings of one column being separated from the openings in the next column by longitudinal strips of un cut metal 17.

1n the slideways of the intermediate columns 15 the names of the various articles ot' stock are produced in any approved manner upon the front face of the back plate 10, and in the slideways of the Want-columns the names of the articles of stock are duplicated in the order in which they are arranged in the next intermediate column. Thus, for instance, if iheword Ale, as shown in the drawings, appears in the first slideway of the left-hand intermediate or stock column, the same word is made to appear in the first slideway of the left-hand want-column, and should the word Mops, for instance, appear in the upper slideway of the right-hand intermediate or stock column the same word is printed upon the back plate 10 and caused to appear at the upper slideway of the right-hand Wantcolumn.

1n the slideways 16 indicating or cover slides 18 are held to move laterally,one of said slides being illustrated in detail in Fig.

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4, each slide consisting,preferably, of a metal `plate wider and longer than the slideways,

struck up at the center from end to end to form essentially a convexed outer and a concaved inner surface. Each plate is provided at each end with a narrow arm 19, which projects upward at a right angle from the body. The uncut metal strips 17 are preferably transversely struck up in alignment with the slideways to admit of the ready passage of the slides.

Usually four columns are employed, the two outer columns being headed by the word Wanted or Vants, and the two intermediate columns being used-as stock-columns, as heretofore stated; but this order may be reversed if found desirable, or more columns may be used. The slides in the right-hand .outer column are so placed that the arm 19 at one end will normally contact with the strip 17, dividing the intermediate vcolumn therefrom, the opposite arm 19 being made to contact with the outer edge of the column, whereby one arln travels in the slideway of the outer or want column and the other in thehorizontally-aligning slideway of the next inner or stock column. The same arrangement is carried outwith reference to the left-hand wantcolunin and the stock-column next thereto. Each slide is preferably painted black, and inoperation the slides are normally made to cover or conceal the names of the articles in the want columns, thereby exposing` the names of the articles in the stock-columns.

Should it be necessary to order beans, the stock having been exhausted, the slide in the left-hand column registering` with the word Beans printed in the stock-column is slid over the word in the latter column, thereby exposing the same word in the want-column; and if onions are wanted and the arrangement of the names of the articles is preserved,

` as in the drawings, the slide is drawn from the right-hand want-column over the word Onions in the stoclccoliimn, exposing said word thereby in the want-column. Thus a doubly registry is obtained, since the names of the goods wanted appear plainly in the want-column and are essentially erased from the stock-column.

At the top of the tablet I preferably swivel a screw 20, whereby the device may be securely attached to the wall or other vertical support, and upon the lower end at each side another swivel maybe placed or an ear may be formed for the reception of a screw, whereby the lower portion of the device may be secured to its support; but I desire it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the precise means illustrated for se.

curing the device in a perpendicular position, as the same may be varied without departing l from the spirit of the invention; nor do I confine myself to any particular material in the construction of the device, metal being preferred, however, as heretofore stated.

' It will be observed that in a grocery, for instance, the device described is very useful, as when the entire stock of any articlevha-s been exhausted, or nearly so, the clerk or vgrocer may make a memorandum of the fact by moving one of the slides to disclose the name of said article in the want-column, thus erasing it from the stock-column. The storekeeper is thereby enabled to give a drummer or salesman of a wholesale-house without any trouble and at a inoments notice an entire list of all the articles that need replenishing, and the housekeeper, by referring to such a tablet, is enabled at all times to give a correct order to the tradesman calling for the same.

I desire it to be further understood that I do not confine myself to producing the names of the articles upon the back plate and covering and uncovering the same by slides, as if in practice it is found desirable the front face of the back of the device may be made opaque and the names of the articles be stenciled, printed, or otherwise produced directly upon the slides, as shown in Fig. 5, one of said slides being illustrated in Fig. G, in which of openings, the openings in one column being in alignment with the openings in the other column and provided with a series of slides for exposing the names of the articles of merchandise to view either in the want or stock column, substantially as described.

2. A stock-memoranda tablet consisting of a back plate having the articles of merchandise produced thereon in aligned columns, a front plate divided into want and stock columns and having a series of aligned openings, and a series of slides for alternately closing said openings, so as to expose to view either in the want or stock column the names of the articles of merchandise on the back plate, substantially as described'.

3. A stock-memoranda tablet consisting of a back plate having the names of articles of merchandise produced on its front face in longitudinal columns, a front plate divided into want and stock columns having a series of opposite openings, anda series of slides having a convex outer surface and provided with outwardly-extending projections, one projection working in theopening of the want column and the other in the opening of the stock-column, substantially as described.

JOSEPH DICK. Witnesses:

JACOB GEBHART, C. H. MURRAY.

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